John e



I. E. BELL. 'WASTE HEAT Boum CLEANING' SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I9' |920.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-*SHEET ,1.

1 E. BELL.

y wAsTE HEAT BolLER CLEANING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19 |920.

JOHN E. BELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WASTE-HEAT BOILER-CLEANlNG SYSTEM. Y

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

Application filed October 19, 1920. Serial No. 417,900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. BELL, c1t1- zen of the YUnited States, and resident of the city of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Waste-Heat Boiler-Cleaning Systems, of which the following is a speciiication.

The general object of the present inven tion is to provide improved means for disposing of the i'iue dust settling out of the heating gases in a waste heat boiler system employed to recover the available heat in the gases from cement kilns or other furnace gases carrying relatively large amounts of 'dust out of the furnaces from which they come.

My invention is especially adapted to use where, as in the waste heat boiler system of a cement plant practical considerations require the maintenance of strong draft suction at the heating gas outlets of the waste heat boilers. Under such conditions much trouble has heretofore been experienced in the removal of the iue dust accumulating in the portions of the waste heat boiler system in which a strong draft suction is maintained, since the opening of the boiler system to the atmosphere to permit the removal of dust deposits from time to time, permits an influx of atmospheric air which not only interferes with the maintenance of the proper draft vconditions in, and hence materially disturbs the operation of the waste heat boiler system as a whole, but alsoV tends to blow the deposits-of flue dust back into inaccessible portions of the waste heat boiler system. l avoid these diiliculties, in accordance with the present invention, by employing a conveyor to receive the dust settling out of the heating gases in the high vacuum portions of the waste heat boiler system and to pass this dust into a dust receiver in which as in the conveyor itself a vacuum, or

Y minus pressure. correspond-ing to that in the portions of the waste heat boiler system from which the dust comes is normally maintained, and by making provisionsfor closing communications between the Vdust receiver and the waste heat boiler flue system from accumulated flue dust therein removed without interfering with the draft conditions in the waste heat boiler system.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which l have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention.

Of the drawings;

Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan view of a waste heat plant;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 2'2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section on a broken line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section on a line 4:-4 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings I have illustrated the use of my invention in a waste heat boiler system for handling the hot gases from a batteryof rotary cement kilns A. In the particular plant shown, each of the kilns A, normally discharges its hot gases into a common flue D, having an inlet connection D from each of the kilns. C is the seat or guideway of a damper or valve arrangement of known form for closing off each connection D when necessary. Fach kiln A is provided with a corresponding stack B which is normally disconnected from the kiln but adapted to be connected thereto when the corresponding flue connection D is closed to permit the operation of the kiln at that time without waste heat recovery. Associated with the flue D is a battery of waste heat boilers F, the housing of each boiler being connected to the flue D by an individual connection D2 which may be closed when necessary by a damper inserted in the guideway or valve seat E. The bottom walls of the passages D and D2 and of the flue D are sloped as shown in Fig. 2 so that deposited dust tends to pass through the outlets D3 into the screw conveyor DA located beneath and parallel to flue D,

'and discharging as shown into a dust re-v ceiver DB.

As shown the boilers F are water tube boilers and each is provided with baiiies G', G2 and G3 transverse to the water tubes for causing the gases to traverse the intertube space tour times from the inlet D2 to the outlet of the boiler housing before entering the economizer H which is located beneath the water tubes at the front end of the boiler. Each economizer is normally connected at its bottom through a port H to a lue J running parallel to the lue D. A damper or valve H2 is provided for closing each port H when necessary. Each damper H2 may be put into and out of place through an opening F2 provided for the purpose in the si'de'of the "boiler housing. Associated with the flue J are a plurality of motor driven exhaust fans L which discharge each into a' corresponding stack M as shown and are connected to the flue J by corresponding inlet passages J which are normally open but maybe closed when necessary or desirable 'by dampers or valves L.

Dust dropping'out of the iue gases in the passes of the boiler between thebaiile walls G and G2 and G2 and G3 collects in pockets I having sloping bottom walls which oonverge to downwardly sloping outlets I normally closed, each by a damper or valve I2 which may be opened from time to time by the manipulation of an operating extension lIS extending to the exterior ot' the boiler housing. As shown there are two pockets I 'for each boiler, each provided with its outlet I. The flue J is provided at its bottom with dust receiving vpockets J5 openv at their tops to the iiue J and into which the various outlets I from the pockets I open as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The bottom wall of the pockets J 5 and of the passages I are similarly sloped so that dust passing into the pockets J either directly from the fine J, or through the passages I', tends to pass out ol' the pockets J through the normally open outlets J2 into the casing of thescrew conveyor K which eX- tends parallel tothe iiue J and is connected at itsl discharge end to a dust receiver P. In the preferredv construction shown the dust receiver` P comprises a vertical elevator shaft in which is mounted a bucket conveyor O running Vover conveyory pulleys O and O2. The conveyor O discharges into a hopper Q, having anormally closed air inlet Q and a normally closed dust outlet Q2. P repre` sents a valve or damper by which communif cation between the housing of the conveyor K andthe interior of the dust receiverv P may be closed when this is desirable.

, In the normal intended operation ol the apparatus illustrated, the hot gases from the kilns A are drawn out Vot the latter and boiler housings.

' under the hopper.

necessary for efficient heat absorption by the boilers and economizers, and to avoid objectionable deposits of dust on the heat absorbing surfaces of the boilers and economizers, a relatively strong draft suction must be maintained at the gas outlets from the of the character illustrated, the minus pressure normally maintained in the flue J will ordinarily be not less than tive and may sometimes be as much as ten or twelve inches of water, although the minus pressure in the flue D will ordinarily not be more than an inch or two. ,The minus pressure inthe dust pockets I will be somewhere near the mean of'the'minus pressures in the -fiues J and D.

F or instance, in a plant Y Large quantities ot' cement dust are cari ried out of the kilns A by the gases leaving the latter, and this dustftends to settle out of the gases in the portion of the ,waste heat boiler system in which the gas flow velocity is relatively slow and in which the direction oli gas flow is sharply altered. In the apparatus shown the greatest dust deposition occurs in the pockets I though substantial deposits also occur in the lues D and J. The tlue dust tending to accumulate in vthe pockets J either by deposition from the gas in the flue J or entering the pockets from the dust poclrets'I through'the passages I, passes by gravity into the conveyor K since the same vacuum is normally maintained in the conveyoiI casing as in the flue J by reason of the numerous open passages J2 connecting the conveyor casing to the iue J. The conveyor K moves this dust into the dust receiver P in which the same minus pressure is normally maintained as in the flue J by reason of the open communication between the flue J and the dust receiver'P through the conveyor' casing. In one inode oi operation communication between the dust receiver and the conveyor K is cut oft from time to time by closing the valve P, and the accumulation of dust inthe hopper Q, of the dust receiverV may then ybe readily discharged by first opening therair inlet Q in the top ot the dust receiver to equalize the pressure in the latter with that of the atmos phere, and then opening the hopper outlet Q2 whereupon the accumulated dust passes freely out of the hopper 'Q into a railroad cai.' or other vreceptacle or conveyor located When the accumulated (lust is removed Vtrom the hopper Q, the air inlet Q and dust 'outlet Q2 are closed and the valve P is again opened. [A vacuum is Vthen quickly drawn in the dust receiver P relatively small and the normal draft Vis not therebyV disturbed except momentarily and` Vinto theflue J in drawing this vacuum is in a relatively insignificant degree. When it is necessary tovr make repairs tothe conveyor K, communication between the conveyor casing and the flue J is cut ofi', by closing the valve J 3 in the passages J 2 before opening the conveyor casing. To facilitate such repairs the top of the conveyor casing may advantageously be made of readily removable metal plates K. These are accessible through the tunnel KA. rIhe operation of the conveyor K maybe continuous except when the valve I is closed from time to time to permit the removal of the dust accumulated in the hopper Q, or the conveyor K may be operated only at such intervals and for such periods as are necessary to dispose of the dust accumulated in the pockets J. Normally closed openings J 4 are provided for the insertion of` a stick to clean out the passages I if the latter become clogged. In an alternative mode of operation of which the apparatus disclosed is capable an accumulation of dust is normally maintained in the hopper Q sufficient to form a seal preventing the influx of air into the hopper when the damper Q2 is opened. Under these conditions by suitable manipulation of the damper Q2 dust may be discharged from the hopper `Q either intermittently, or continuously at the rate at which it enters the hopper Q, without closing the valve P or breaking the partial vacuum in the hopper Q or interrupting the operation of the conveyor K.

The dust conveyor DA and the receiver DB may be arranged and operated as are the dust conveyor K and receiver O if desired, though the relatively small differential normally maintained between the pressure of the atmosphere and the minus pressure in the fiue D make-s the disposal of the dust entering the conveyor DA a much less diflicult and disturbing matter than the removal of the dust from the pockets J The valves controlling the passages I are normally closed to maintain the proper draft differential between the flue J and the passes of the boiler directly open to the dust pockets I. From time to time the valves I2 are opened topermit the gravity flow of ac cumulated dust from the pockets I into the pockets J. The action of gravity then tending to cause the dust to pass from the pockets I into the pockets J is supplemented by the dust carrying effects of the streams of the furnace gases which then by-pass the third and fourth passes of the boilers through the channels I. Novel features of the waste heat boiler system proper, disclosed but not claimed herein are claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 417,899 flied oci-.Ober 19, 1920.

lVhile in accordance with the provisions of thestatutes, I have illustrated and described the best form of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims and that certain features of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without the corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a waste heat boiler system a chamber in which a high draft suction is normally maintained, a second chamber in which a somewhat smaller draft suction is normally maintained, a passage through which flue dust accumulating in said second chamber may pass into the first mentioned chamber when said passage is open and means for opening and closing said passage.

2. In a waste heat boiler system compris ing chambers in which flue dust tends to collect and in which different amounts of draft suction are normally maintained, the improvement which consists in a relative arrangement of said chambers and a passage connecting them so that when said passage is open, accumulated dust in the chamber in which the smaller draft suction is maintained tends to move by gravity through said passage into the other chamber, and provisions for opening and closing said passage.

3. In a waste heat boiler system comprising chambers in which flue dusttends to collect and in which a comparatively high draft suction is normally maintained, the improvement which consists in an elevated closed dust receiver provided with a bottom outlet for dust, a conveyor for removing dust from the chambers and elevating it into the upper portion of said receiver, and provisions for normally lmaintaining said conveyer and dust receiver in free communication with said chambers.

4. In a waste heat boiler system comprising chambers in which flue dust tends to c01- lect and in which a draft suction is normally maintained, the improvement which consists in a closed dust receiver provided with a valved bottom outlet for dust, a conveyer for passing dust from the chambers into the upper portion of said receiver and provisions for normally maintaining the conveyor and dust receiver in free communication with said chambers and sealed from the atmosphere and for intermittently disconnecting the dust receiver from said chambers and opening its'upper portion to the atmosmaintained, the improvement which consists inn closed dust receiver provided with a valved bottom outlet for dust and a valved air inlet into the upper portion of Said receiver, a conveyor for passing dust from the chambers into the upper portionof said receiver andr provisions for normally maintaining the conveyor and dust receiver in f free communication with said chambers and sealed from the atmosphere.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of day of October A. D. 1 

